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THE TENNESSEAN

Garbage litters the lower basement area of the old firehouse on Gallatin Avenue. / JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN

Former Councilwoman Pam Murray has close ties to NEON.

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Watchdog Report

The historic former No. 18 firehouse was supposed to serve as a hub for East Nashville community arts and after-school programs.

Instead, the 80-year-old brick building on Gallatin Avenue has become a makeshift homeless camp inside and out with broken windows, discarded cigarette butts, piles of 40-ounce malt liquor bottles, blankets and garbage littering the property.

The building has sunk into disrepair under the care of North Edgefield Organized Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that has received more than $189,000 in grant funding from Metro since the 2005-06 budget year.

East Nashville community leaders say attempts to reach NEON regarding the firehouse have been unsuccessful, leaving the future of the would-be community center in doubt. The listed phone number for NEON has been disconnected, and the organization's offices on Meridian Street also appear to be inactive.

"I would like to do some sort of process that engages the community," said Carol McCullough, who is a member of the nearby Cleveland Park Neighborhood Association, which was supposed to be able to make use of the center. "If NEON, as a nonprofit, isn't willing to do that, then the question is, 'What becomes of that firehouse?' "

The building, which hasn't been used as a fire hall since 1989, faces Gallatin Avenue at the end of the parking lot for the Walmart Neighborhood Market. In 2006, Walmart agreed to sign the deed to the firehouse over to NEON for use as the community center, but the nonprofit has not been able to hold up its end of the bargain.

Group linked to Murray

NEON has close ties to former Metro Councilwoman Pam Murray, who was integral in the process of acquiring the firehouse for the nonprofit group. According to Metro Historical Commission records, Murray regularly attended NEON planning meetings about the firehouse beginning in 2006.

The deed transaction was finalized last year just before Murray was voted out of office in the first recall election in Metro's history. Murray would not comment for this story, instead asking that questions about NEON and the firehouse be sent to her attorney.

During Murray's time in office, NEON was kept afloat thanks to $189,000 in grants from the city from 2005 to 2007. More than $35,000 came from a direct appropriation in 2007 when district council members were allocated funds to spend within their communities. NEON has not received any grant funds since 2007.

IRS reports for NEON from 2006, 2007 and 2008 show the organization had total revenues of only $219,000, including the Metro grants.

On two separate occasions, NEON was put on notice by the city because the organization did not properly spend its grant dollars in a timely fashion.

Subsequent reviews conducted in 2007 and 2008 showed NEON had insufficient accounting practices, although Metro ultimately found that all but $400 of the grant money was properly spent, according to Finance Department administrator Fred Adom.

Mayor Karl Dean changed the Metro nonprofit grant program after he was elected to office. A board appointed by Dean ranks applicants on a number of criteria and provides grants to the nonprofit groups with the highest scores. Dean put an emphasis on nonprofits in the fields of after-school programs, domestic violence and community services.

Codes complaints filed

NEON President Marcellus Brooks said the nonprofit, which was established to serve as an umbrella for District 5 community organizations, was currently not offering any services. In the past, NEON offered after-school tutoring programs, senior citizen activities and other services, while its offices acted as a primary meeting space for some neighborhood groups.

"We're not doing any programming at all," Brooks said. "We're in a rebuilding stage."

With NEON no longer receiving grant funding from the city, the organization has not made any progress on the necessary interior work for the building, which was designated a historic structure by the Metro Historical Commission in 2006.

Metro has been made aware of the broken windows and trash piles, according to Codes Department Assistant Director Bill Penn. Multiple complaints have been filed, but an inspection isn't planned until later this month, Penn said.

"This is an important historical asset to the community, and it's a shame to allow it to fall into disrepair any further," said District 5 Metro Councilman Jamie Hollin, who defeated Murray in last year's recall election.